


Nick Lynx's Tale of Human Beings

by jojosiewa



Series: MCYT Short Stories [16]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), The Crafting Dead
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Cannibalism, Crushes, Denial, Family Reunions, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Manipulation, Pining, Sexual Coercion, Sibling Bonding, Trans Male Character, age gap 16-20something (more implied), age gap 20-27 (more focused on), cryptid AU, red is fucking creepy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-08 06:35:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21471622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jojosiewa/pseuds/jojosiewa
Summary: STORY 4/6Nick is just an average guy, nothing all that special about him; that is, until a few key events help him realize that not everyone can talk to their dogs.
Relationships: Cory/Nick, Ghetto/Nick (Crafting Dead)
Series: MCYT Short Stories [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1192948
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	Nick Lynx's Tale of Human Beings

“I would appreciate it if you came with me to Seaport. It’s a real sad place, and there are some people there that I don’t wanna encounter alone.”

“So you need a bodyguard.”

“More or less. I think I can handle myself, but there’s someone else I’ll need to take care of too. He has a, a kind of familiar, that will protect him, and I’ll be there for him too, but I’m just— I want to be extra sure.”

“It’s no problem, man, I got you covered, I still have a place there we can stay, it has warding so we’ll be safe from... intruders. Hey, could I bring a friend along?”

“The more the merrier, I guess.”

“Why are you going to Seaport, of all damn places? There’s a dangerous hostile group floating around, with this real creepy dude as their leader.”

“I think it’s time for me to reunite with someone I’ve known for a long time.”

——

Once Nick grew up, he figured the voice he heard as a kid was some kind of imaginary friend. She was his age and she sounded fairly similar to him, like a sister would. Nick first heard the voice when he was four, and playing in the small backyard, surrounded by tall wooden fencing, some of it having been painted over by Nick. The little artist. A rather big dog rested in the grass, watching.

_HELLO!_ the voice yelled, and it made Nick cover his ears. But the voice didn’t come from his surroundings, it came from inside his head. Nick squinted and looked around.

“Who are you?” he asked, and the dog lifted his head.

_Talk inside your head_, the voice said. _I’m Shelby. You’re Nick!_

“I know,” Nick said, and he quickly corrected himself. _I know,_ he repeated as a thought. _But how do you know?_

_I can see your thoughts if I try reeeeally hard. I wanted to know the right name,_ Shelby said. _Don’t mean to poke in your business._

_It’s okay,_ Nick thought. _Thank you!_ There was a bit of silence as Nick scratched his legs where the grass tickled. _Soooo why are you talking to me?_

_Well because I’m your sister, duh!_ Nick could hear Shelby giggling. It made him smile; he loved it when other people were happy.

_You’re my sister? How?_ Nick asked, and that’s when he first heard the story that he once believed was true. The story of his alleged parents.

Their father Isaak was a telepath, and their mother Anika a witch. Isaak separated the twins, giving Nick to his close friend and Shelby to Anika’s sister. That was all Shelby said at first, and all Shelby knew. Time passed, however, and Nick figured that Shelby was told more as she got older, like most children.

Nick was ten, and he was folding his clothes. The dog was curled around him, resting.

_Our mom died,_ Shelby said, and it made Nick stop. He could feel her grief, her anger, from a mile away.

_What do you mean? Like, recently?_ Nick asked, slowly resuming, carefully placing a neatly folded shirt in a laundry basket.

He heard Shelby sigh. _No, back then, when we were babies. There was some government crap going on and they were experimenting on people like our mom and dad. She was killed trying to protect us_, she explained. _Adults are just stupid. They don’t get it, they don’t get anything._

_I’m... um, I’m sure they had a reason to, to do all that,_ Nick said.

_Stop doing that thing you do, Nick, I don’t like it when you do that,_ Shelby said.

_Do what?_ Nick asked. He rested a shirt on his legs for a moment, his eyebrow raised.

_They didn’t have a reason, not a very good one anyway,_ Shelby spat. _Mom’s dead._

Nick, and Shelby, far away, both sat in silence for a while. Nick began, _Well, I mean--_

The knock on his door and the slight movement of the waking dog forced him back to reality. “Hey kiddo,” his uncle said, his smile kind but worried. He was always worried, Nick could almost feel it seeping out of him, and it always made his stomach churn with the kind of guilt that stuck. “How are you?”

“Fine, um, hey, did you know my mom?” Nick asked, looking up at his uncle with big, curious eyes. His uncle’s smile faltered a bit.

“I only met her, uh, a few times. Why?”

“Shelby told me she’s dead.”

His uncle looked pale. Felt scared. Nick looked away and pulled his knees to his chest. “Never mind,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be— um—” his uncle stuttered, leaning on the doorframe. “Yes. Anika is dead. Do you wanna talk about anything, Nick?”

Nick shut his eyes. He wanted his uncle to leave, just so he wouldn’t be sad and worried and scared any longer. “I’m okay. It was just— what she told me,” he said, and his uncle stood there for a little while longer before he sighed again and walked away, his hand on his head.

His uncle didn’t believe him. Never did, never would. As Nick made it to middle school, he finally understood why. Apparently hearing voices in your head was grounds for being considered a weird kid, and so Nick sat alone at lunch, in his history teacher’s room.

_Nick? Is something wrong? Why aren’t you answering? Nick I know I promised not to poke in your business but I’m really fucking worried._

Nick, twelve, ignored Shelby’s voice and the gut-twisting emotions that came with it. _I’m not crazy,_ he’d think when he was sure Shelby, who wasn’t real, just an imaginary friend, just a character he came up with out of loneliness like his uncle thought, wasn’t listening. _I’m not fucking crazy like they say. I’m not._

“Y’know,” his uncle sighed one night, fork tapping anxiously against his plate, “kids are just mean, alright? They’re jerks. I wish I was better with words, shit, but— I mean—” 

“It’s fine,” Nick said, picking at his food. “Thanks anyway.”

“Isaak—” His uncle hesitated, and sighed again. Nick glanced up at him. “I didn’t know too much about Anika, but Isaak was my best friend. He said things that I didn’t understand sometimes, too. I think that you guys are just... I don’t know. I— I’m trying to help you through this but I don’t know exactly what it is you’re going through. Your mind, is— is not mine, after all.”

“Yeah,” Nick said. “I know. I’m fine, I’m grateful, really, the weird looks and whispers and everything made me realize she— it all wasn’t real. You were right. All along.”

The uncle was taken aback for a moment. “I— I never said I didn’t believe you—”

“You don’t have to lie anymore, it’s okay.” Nick stood up, and went to his room, flopping down on his bed and groaning. The dog sniffed at him curiously. His uncle didn’t follow; never did, only sat there and let his frustration fester within.

_Nick, can you please, please answer me, you’re really freaking me the fuck out,_ Nick’s imaginary friend Shelby, who didn’t exist, begged. _Please?_

Nick covered his head with a pillow and knew it wouldn’t help.

Shelby’s daily messages declined fast with little to no responses from Nick, and by the time Nick was fourteen, there was only a stray sentence every once in a while. If he was exhausted enough, Nick would answer, and then get afraid and back out once Shelby started speaking excitedly to him.

“How was your first day of high school, better than you thought?” his uncle asked, smiling softly as Nick dropped his backpack at the door. “Fresh start?”

“Bus is scary,” Nick mumbled, walking past him and into the kitchen. His uncle sighed and nodded.

“I know it's a bit further from home, but I mean— new people, y’know.”

“I know. I don’t really know anyone there, which is good. Sorry again, for the paperwork it took,” Nick said, and his uncle waved it off, though he had been fairly irritated by the whole ordeal.

Nick went to his room, failing to mention the fact that the rumor of Nick’s imaginary sister was already spreading again no matter how far the new school was from his old one.

He stopped talking to Shelby outright. Shelby gave up on him by the time he was sixteen.

“Don’t listen to those jerks,” the TA in Nick’s history class said one day. He was tall, twenty something, and a redhead.

“Yeah,” Nick told the TA. “Thanks Rich.”

——

“Hey, I was doing research,” Nick’s uncle said, leaning on the doorway, and Nick jumped at the sound of his voice. They’d hardly been speaking to each other recently; Nick was often either out of the house or cooped up in his room. “I was thinking that maybe we need some therapy. You and me both.”

Nick glanced oddly at him from his bed. “Uh, I don’t know,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “I have a lot of homework—”

“I think we could benefit— I think I made a mistake not doing it sooner,” his uncle said, stepping into Nick’s room. “I think it’s important.”

“I haven’t heard Shelby in a while,” Nick said, and his uncle sighed, putting his hands on his face.

“It’s not about Shelby, it’s about you. You’re not yourself, and I was a teenager, I know things are rough, but it’s taken me too long to step up, and I think we both could at least use a few sessions,” his uncle explained. “You’ve been going out a lot, you haven’t been talking to me even in the way you used to, I just want to know if anything’s wrong, if I can help—”

“Nothing’s wrong, okay? Nothing at all,” Nick said. “I don’t wanna talk to a stranger, I’m fine.”

“Fucking hell,” his uncle spat, and Nick flinched again. “I’m supposed to take care of you—”

“I’m sorry my dad did this to you,” Nick interrupted, looking right into his uncle’s eyes. It was silent for a long time, and then Nick’s stunned uncle let out a shaky breath. Both their eyes began to water, until Nick wiped a tear off his cheek and his uncle walked out, hiding his face and closing the door harshly.

Nick got a text late that night that read, “Let’s get the fuck outta here,” and the dog stared in vain at the bright screen in the dark.

It wasn't long after that when Nick felt something familiar. A presence, like someone was inside his head. Searching. Nick could feel when they found it, he could sense what it was. Nick sat up.

“Get out,” he whispered.

_Adults should never do those things to you,_ Shelby the imaginary friend and the fake and the liar said.

_GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD AND LEAVE ME ALONE GET OUT GET OUT_ “GET OUT!” Nick screamed, gripping his hair and doubling over. He let out a desperate cry and suddenly a string was cut, a connection severed, and then Nick was left with nothing, no one but himself. That was what he wanted, right?

But it was more than a lack of Shelby’s voice. It was nothing where there had been something all his life. “Shelby?” Nick breathed. “Shelby answer me I didn’t mean—”

The door swung open, and his uncle fell to his knees by the bed. “Nick, what’s going on?” he asked, reaching for Nick’s hand. Nick moved away and began to sob, and the dog bounded in, jumping up and sitting at the foot of Nick’s bed. Nick covered his face with his hands as he let out raspy, ugly cries that made him feel like a child again.

Nick packed a bag the next day, and he was gone. Rich said not to leave a note.

Rich’s apartments in the city were all dirty and loud, and the neighbors weren’t kind like in Nick’s uncle’s neighborhood. 

The dog howled from outside the building, chained to a bike rack, and Nick only shut his eyes.

Nick wasn’t even sure exactly where he was. Rich was different, worse; or maybe he was the same, and Nick was just starting to notice certain things about him. In reality, it was both. And so, something finally occurred to Nick on the eve of his eighteenth birthday: he was completely and utterly miserable, so much so that he barely felt human anymore. And it occurred to him that there may be something he could do about it, if he was quick and quiet, which he was.

Rich was asleep. Nick got up, as if in a trance, and gathered his things. Then he poked through Rich’s wallet, and took all the money inside.

Nick looked at his fake IDs. Nick McIntyre, instead of Lynx, twenty one instead of seventeen. He found a lighter Rich used to light his cigarettes, and flicked it on. He held up the IDs to the fire, and he watched them burn in his hand, his breaths shaky and his fingers warming up fast. He dumped the IDs in the sink and took a deep breath as the fire went out, leaving nothing but the charred remains. He turned to the dog, patted him on the head, and they left as the clock struck twelve. He didn’t leave a note.

It was raining. He took a taxi to the port and used Rich’s money to buy a ticket on the boat to Seaport, which left in the morning. The woman in the small convenience store next to the ticket booth saw the look in his eyes and let him stay in the back room. He stayed back there with the dog until morning, when he heard a furious voice coming from the other side of the door, a familiar voice.

The yelling was brief, but Nick waited for a while after, frozen in fear. Then the woman came in, gave him a Seaport jacket and said, “Don’t miss your boat hun.”

The boat was crowded inside, but on deck it almost seemed like he was the only one aboard. Alone. Nick’s hair shifted as the ocean wind blew, and his scarf fluttered behind him. He leaned on the boat railing, and the dog looked up at him.

_What do you plan to do now?_ Yoti asked, and Nick gazed off at the heavy fog ahead.

“Start again.”

_Ah._ Yoti followed Nick’s gaze.

_I suppose that is as good a plan as any._

——

_Nick, I strongly advise against this, you know Seaport isn’t the best place at night. I was registered as your service dog for a reason—_

“Yoti, the store is two blocks away, I’ll be ten minutes. You’re not my bodyguard,” Nick said, zipping up his jacket. Yoti huffed and flicked his tail.

_Actually, I—_

“Yoootiiiiii, pleeeeeease,” Nick whined, bouncing up and down. “I am 20 years old, I did my, uhh, taxes.”

Yoti blinked. _I helped you with those._

Nick pouted. Yoti lowered his head. _FINE. Please be quick and avoid eye contact with everyone._

“Yes, Yoti, got it, thank you, I love you,” Nick cooed, kneeling down and scratching Yoti behind the ears.

_Mhm, love you too,_ Yoti said, standing and walking out of the way, tail swaying. Nick smiled and opened the door, waving bye to Yoti before he left.

Seaport was an island of fog and general melancholy. Nick was walking away from the ports, and behind him the foghorn blared, leading ships through the foggy night. Nick, meanwhile, led himself, with little help from the dim street lights. Yoti was right; Seaport wasn’t the best place at night. It smelled like a combination of seawater and cigarettes, and Nick learned to walk faster when the smell of cigarettes became more prominent. He didn’t like the smell, or the people that usually came with it.

Nick made it to the store without any such encounters. The sign that read “OPEN 24/7” was flickering. When Nick stepped inside, the cashier was batting at kelp flies. Nick frowned and walked past.

“Hey kid.” Nick flinched. He turned slowly, and the cashier leaned forward. She looked like she was in her late twenties, and she had a southern accent. “Nicky or somethin’, right?”

Nick tilted his head and glanced away. “Just Nick.”

“Shit, I’m sorry,” the cashier said.

“You’re fine.”

“I’ll file it away in this here brain. Nick. Nick. That’s a nice name. Anyway, sorry, I’m just tryna get the names of everyone who comes here often,” she said, tapping her hands against the counter and smiling at him. “And the night shift ain’t very fun, either. No one but these damn flies to talk to. I’ll go crazy soon, talkin’ to flies.”

Nick watched the flies as she swatted at them again. “Yeah, crazy, um. You’re new,” he said, like he was sure. “You’re st— I mean it must be stressful.”

“Yeah, a little. I’ll be fine. Those damn disappearances though...” she trailed off, and Nick glanced up as a light flickered above her. “Hey... you sure you’re all good out here on your own?”

“I’m fine. It’s just two blocks down,” Nick reassured, waving his hand towards the general direction of his apartment. “I just need some stuff really quick.”

“Okay, then. Go on ahead, Nick.”

Nick smiled and wandered into an aisle. He grabbed what he needed, a bottle of laundry detergent, and started walking back. He paused as a light flickered above him. “Damn lights…” the cashier mumbled. Nick held the detergent to his chest and stepped out from under the light.

A fly landed on his hand, and he held it out, tilting his head at the fly. “What’s wrong?” he whispered, and then he shook his head. “Talking to flies, Nick.”

He shook the fly off his hand and went up to the cash register.

——

The dimly lit street stretched far into the dark night, and Nick nearly turned back at the sight of it. It seemed eerie, well, eerier than usual, for some reason. Like someone was thinking something sinister in the dark. And it was too quiet, too. No hushed voices, no distant growls from fighting street cats, no worrisome boom noises that made you wonder if it was a firework or a gunshot. No foghorn.

Nick turned, and saw a woman in a window staring him down. She shut her curtains, and the lights in her house all went off. On the other side of the street, Nick noticed a trash bag in someone’s lawn, no more than a few feet from the trash can. The lights in that house went out, too, the curtains already drawn. Nick walked a bit faster, feeling like the detergent was weighing him down.

“Well aren’t you a doll,” a voice cooed, and a shiver ran down Nick’s spine. Then, a hand followed suit, resting on Nick’s lower back. A man was next to him. He was tall, twenty something, and a redhead. His eyes gleamed red, casting a glow that cut through the fog. Nick let out a shaky breath, offering a fake smile and suddenly feeling like an idiot for not bringing Yoti. “You aren’t supposed to be out so late, doll, with those horrible disappearances,” the man said, and as they walked, the street lights went out behind them.

The hand pressed to Nick’s back, and all of a sudden he stumbled, his legs shaking. “W-What, who…” he mumbled, dropping the detergent. He began to fall, everything going limp. The man pulled Nick against him, cupping his face with one hand.

“The name’s Red.” The light over them went out, and Red pulled Nick off the sidewalk and into an alleyway. Nick shut his eyes and tried to move, but he could only curl his fingers, and even then, barely. His lip quivered as he felt breath on his neck, and all he could think in that moment was serves me well for being an idiot.

A whisper in his ear. “You look so tasty, doll.” He began to fade out, sounds muffling. He was on the ground now, and his hand hit a puddle. He could feel Red over him.

Then, a voice he thought he had forgotten, but never really did. “GET THE HELL OFF HIM!” Red did, and Nick’s eyes fluttered open as a figure with a long, gleaming sword appeared, soon accompanied by a big dog. Red stepped back, turned to run away, and hissed.

“You,” he said, and Nick tried to look too. He was still paralyzed.

“Yeah, me,” a deep voice mumbled, and Red chuckled.

The lights came on again, and then Red was gone. Nick let out a shocked breath, his eyes fluttering. The one with the katana, a girl, ran up to him and knelt by him. “Nick, hey,” she said, and Nick blinked.

“Shelby?” he whispered, and then his eyes shut.

——

Nick’s eyes opened. There was a distant ringing in his ears, and when his eyes moved to scan the room he was in, his vision was blurred. His hand moved sluggishly to his face, and he rubbed his eyes, letting out a quiet grunt. He was no stranger to this feeling; he was sure he’d been drugged.

His vision and his hearing both cleared, and he was able to sit up. He was in a bed with soft white sheets and a pretty quilt bedspread. The walls of the room he was in were scattered with posters from various shows a child might watch, and three bins stocked full of stuffed animals were tucked in the corner of the room. A lot of the animals inside appeared to be tigers.

Nick pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them. His memories were fuzzy, but he knew enough to fill in the blanks. He must’ve been at that man’s house, the door to the room locked from the outside, the man lurking somewhere near, no hope for escape. Nick was dead, no, worse than dead. Again.

He was in a shocked silence for a while. He didn’t know how long he sat there for, watching the door, but then it opened. He froze, and it was too late to pretend to be asleep.

But the person at the door was a child, with big green eyes and messy dark hair. Nick let out a breath.

“You’re awake,” the kid said, stepping inside. “Hi. I’m Jordan.”

Nick’s eyes wandered up to the twitching tiger ears on the boy’s head. Then down to the tail. “Um.”

“Oh, umm, I’m a weretiger, but you probably knew that. You’re an empath, right?” Jordan stepped inside. Nick blinked.

“I’m a what?”

“An empath— I’m sorry if you’re confused, I shouldn’t have— I can go,” Jordan stumbled over his words, backtracking towards the door. Nick shook his head and blinked a couple more times.

“You’re okay,” he mumbled, and Jordan smiled.

“Cool! So uh, this is my room, though we moved outta here a little while ago because of Red. But some of my stuff is still here because we had to leave in a hurry.” Jordan kept inching closer until he was at the corner of the bed. Nick watched the ears. They looked so real. “I can’t believe I’ve never seen you around before. Your name is Nick, right?”

“Hey kiddo, you can’t be in here—” Someone else opened the door further, freezing as he locked eyes with Nick. Nick pressed his back against the bedframe and pulled the sheets closer. “Oh, shit.”

“It’s okay,” Jordan said to Nick, “that’s Ghetto, he raised me.”

Ghetto was tall as all hell with the muscle to match. He had dark skin, dark hair, and green eyes, darker than Jordan’s. Despite his size, he seemed kind, at least to Jordan, and Nick let himself breathe again. “Hey,” Ghetto said. “You’re awake, I uh, you must be pretty confused right now huh.”

Nick nodded, and Ghetto opened his mouth to speak again when he was shoved aside by someone who seemed to be a whole foot shorter than him. “Nick!” she cried, and she ran up to the bed. They locked eyes, her amber to his green, and Nick could feel the familiarity. There was something right about her being close to him, something right about hearing that voice again.

Again?

“Nick, thank god we got there in time, kind of in time. Did he hurt you? Did he— look, it’s— I’ll deal with him later, Nick, you’re safe now, Yoti’s keeping an eye out for him, he can’t hurt you, we won’t let him,” she stuttered out, running anxious fingers through her red hair. Nick’s mouth hung open, and the girl blinked. “Nick? You good? Nick it’s me, Shelby! Your sister.”

“Shelby?” Nick asked, his voice cracking. It couldn’t have been, but at the same time it had to be. She looked like him, same nose, same eye shape; it was uncanny. And her voice, that fucking voice, a more grown-up version of what he remembered from the only redeemable part of his whole childhood, the voice that he dismissed for years as imaginary, the voice that tried to fucking warn him. The voice he shut out.

Nick choked out a sob. He covered his mouth as the tears welled up and fell, everything rushing forward in waves, his past and then his present. Shelby was frozen for only a second, then, she sat on the bed and gave him a hug. He hugged back, gripped her jacket, and cried into her shoulder.

——

“So, an empath.”

Antoni’s Pizza was the best in Seaport. Nick would order it a lot during sleepless nights, working on his online college classes to pass the time. The delivery people knew him, the quiet boy in 4A who was hiding from something.

“Yes,” Shelby said. She was sitting next to Nick, on the couch, gently holding his hand. “An empath, in the cryptid sense, can, like, tell what others are feeling. They can feel it themselves, even.”

“Ha,” Nick breathed. “I wish.”

“Nick, you can, you just didn’t—” Shelby stopped, and Nick set his pizza down, avoiding her gaze. Nick didn’t need telepathy to know what she was thinking. “Look. The one who raised you was our dad’s friend, he didn’t know jackshit, alright? But I’m here now, I can help you. Alright?”

“Alright.” Nick nodded.

“You really didn’t know any of this?” Ghetto asked, leaning on the kitchen counter. Nick watched his arms. “You have a talking dog.”

_I belong to no one,_ Yoti uttered from his spot on the couch.

“I thought everyone could— look— whatever, okay? Let’s not get into the inner workings of my mind,” Nick said, raising his eyes to Ghetto’s. “What can you do?”

Ghetto stood up straight and puffed out his chest a bit. “You got yourself a bonafide shapeshifter on your side, Lynx. I can take the form of anyone I want, but I’m nice, and I ask permission first.” He paused, in thought. “Unless you’re being a major a—” he looked at Jordan, “a-hole. Then I just go crazy.”

Jordan giggled. “Like with AK,” he whispered, and he took a big bite of pizza. Ghetto nodded.

“That’s pretty cool,” Nick said, and Ghetto smirked at him.

“I also have heightened strength, by the way—”

“Alright!” Shelby said through gritted teeth. “Anyway. Speaking of talking dog—”

“Yoti,” Nick mumbled. “Yeah, wait, what is Yoti? A weredog or something?”

_Oh Nick!_ Yoti’s head shot up. _I’m no dog! I’m also no common werecreature._ Jordan tilted his head. _I happen to be a well-bred descendant of a respectable familiar who was tied to your family. Your parents told me to protect you, always. Only you, Shelby, and animal type cryptids can hear me._

“Right, the story is true, mom was a witch,” Nick said, a hand on his head. Yoti inched closer, for comfort. “Are we witches?”

Shelby took a big bite of pizza. “Only if we learn witchcraft,” she said with her mouth full. “And that shit’s hard.”

_Manners,_ Yoti pressed. Shelby made a face at him.

Nick watched his finger as he tapped it against his knee, still processing. He felt like he’d be processing for hours, maybe days. Shelby took his hand in hers and squeezed it. He squeezed back. “Shelby, I’m— I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. What I felt last night, or however long it’s been, um, that wasn’t— something odd happened didn’t it? That man wasn’t human, was he?” Nick said, his eyes wide and scared. Shelby glanced away.

“That man’s name is Red,” Ghetto said, wrapping a protective arm around Jordan. Nick heard quiet purring. “He’s been around here for a little while now, causing the disappearances I’m sure you’ve heard about. He thinks humans and cryptids alike are a delicacy, and he likes to play with his food. He’s probably avoided you in the past because of your wolf friend. He took Jordan, and scared the shit out of this elemental I know.”

“What is he?” Nick asked, face paling. Shelby and Ghetto exchanged glances.

“Uhh, we’re not really sure. None of us are, I’ve asked a lot of people and no one really has a clue,” Ghetto mumbled, and Nick laughed nervously.

“Great,” Nick whispered. “Wonderful, now he’s gonna come back for me and I’m as good as dead, right?”

Shelby put her free hand on top of his. “No, Nick, he’ll recognize that you’re too difficult to catch and move on. That’s what hostiles like him do. You’re safe here, with us,” she reassured, and Ghetto grunted.

“Nick might be right,” he said, and Shelby glared at him. He shook his head. “Shelby, Red isn’t a normal hostile, he’s powerful and practically obsessive—”

“Then I’ll kill him,” Shelby hissed.

_No, you will not,_ Yoti ordered. _Not on your own. Not without a plan. I know you, Shelby. You will not get out of this alive if you go about this the way you go about everything else._

“Then let’s make a fucking plan,” she spat. Nick pulled his hand away from her. Jordan looked at Ghetto and covered his mouth, wide eyed.

_You’re frightening Nick,_ Yoti warned. Shelby grit her teeth, huffed, and stomped away. She held out her hand, and the katana came flying, the handle connecting with her palm easily. Nick gasped as she walked down the hall and into a room. Yoti turned to Nick and nudged his hand with his snout. _Are you alright? Do you need anything?_ he asked, and Nick shook his head.

“I think I’m just in shock,” he said, and Yoti nodded.

“I’m sorry we had to meet like this,” Ghetto said. “For the record.”

Nick cracked a smile. “It’s okay. I’m glad I got to meet you, and Jordan, and... my sister. You seem like a nice guy,” he said, putting a finger on his temple. “Don’t need empathy powers to see that.”

Ghetto grinned and leaned forward. “That mean you’re gonna stick with us? Just for a while while we sort all this out?” he asked, and Nick brushed some hair out of his eyes.

“Maybe,” he mumbled, shrugging. Jordan jumped up and sat next to Nick, leaning on him, still purring. Ghetto chuckled and watched Nick ruffle Jordan’s hair, his shoulders slumped.

Then came the feeling of safety. It swarmed Nick, enveloping his mind and making him loosen his tense shoulders for the first time since he was twelve. It flowed out from Jordan and Ghetto and Yoti and even Shelby, though she was angry and pouting in the other room. He could feel the father and son love between Ghetto and Jordan, could feel how much Shelby and Yoti cared for Nick, loved him, even. He knew he shouldn’t be able to feel those kinds of things, but it all just came so natural; it was like learning the truth had unlocked something in him, something he’d tucked away for so long that he’d forgotten how it felt.

He glanced over at the room Shelby was in, and he sighed.

_Can you hear me?_

Yoti looked up. Nick waited, listened for her voice.

Shelby appeared at the door, her eyes wide. Nick stood up.

_I’m so glad you’re okay,_ Shelby thought to him. She held out her arms, and Nick ran over, embracing her tightly. “Oh my god,” she said aloud. “I was so worried about you.”

“I know, I— I’m sorry it’s my fault, I didn’t mean to— to say anything I said back then. I was so stupid, I’m still stupid, all I can do is get myself into trouble,” Nick mumbled into her shoulder. The sobs came next, and Shelby gave Yoti a sad look before bringing Nick into her room and sitting him down on her bed. Yoti followed, and Jordan began to get up, before Ghetto placed a gentle hand on the child’s shoulder to stop him.

“Nick, you’re not stupid. Our dad’s friend, the one who raised you, was just an idiot, alright? He didn’t know anything. I don’t care if mom and dad thought it was safer if we were split up, we should’ve stayed together. Then maybe I could have done more to protect you,” Shelby said, wiping her eyes. Nick sniffled and held her hand again.

“I should’ve listened. I don’t know how much you know about— I—” Nick put a hand over his eyes, his face heating up with shame. His voice lowered to a whisper. “I don’t know how much you know about Rich.”

Shelby rubbed Nick’s hand with her thumb. “I know. And what I didn’t know from you, I, connected the dots. I know you came here very suddenly when you turned eighteen.”

“Jesus,” Nick breathed, followed by another sob. Shelby scooted closer.

“It’s not your fault, okay? We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to but you better goddamn know it’s not your fault,” she said, her voice wavering. Nick leaned on her and cried. She held him close and rubbed his back, trying to stay strong for him.

“Please don’t let me get hurt again, I can't do this alone anymore,” Nick whimpered, and Shelby nodded.

“I promise. I promise.”

——

_Are you feeling any better?_ Yoti asked, and Nick nodded.

_It was good to let it all out. Felt good._ He paused in front of his apartment door and pulled out his key.

_I’m glad you’re speaking inside your head again, but take it easy. Your abilities are going to be rather erratic, since you haven’t been practicing,_ Yoti explained, and the door next to Nick’s opened. _Anyway, try not to overwhelm yourself by trying to read everyone, you can really…_

He was average height, in his late twenties, and a blond. He appeared in the doorway of the apartment next to Nick’s, and he looked over with his bright blue eyes. He smiled at Nick, running his fingers through his hair. His shirt was tight, and he had muscle (though, not as much as Ghetto). Nick let out a breath and dropped his key. The man’s eyes followed it, and Nick quickly picked it up. He looked back and froze as they made eye contact again. Nick felt like a deer in headlights as the man sauntered over. “Hey,” he said, and Nick hummed.

“Hi.”

“I just moved in,” the man said, leaning on the wall. Yoti’s ears flattened. “Name’s Cory Santiago.” He held out a hand. Nick shook it, eyes still wide.

“Um. Nick. Lynx,” he managed, and he nearly flinched under the firm handshake. He eyed the dog tags around Cory’s neck and figured that was why. He was military. Cory noticed, and grabbed the dog tags.

“Oh, don’t worry, I quit the army a long time ago. Peace, and all,” he said. Nick nodded. “Anyway, uh, I needed to get away from the city, figured this was a nice place to go.”

_You know the kinds of people that actually think it’s nice here, Nick,_ Yoti said, sounding nervous. Nick ignored him.

“Yeah, uh, I needed to get away from the city too. I get that,” Nick said, smiling. Cory patted Nick’s shoulder lightly, and Nick’s shoulders raised a little in response. “Well, welcome to Seaport!”

“I bet I’ll see you around, huh neighbor?” Cory chuckled, and Nick’s face flushed.

“Uh, actually I’m gonna spend a couple days at my sister’s house while we sort out a... family issue? Anyway, uh, I’m just here to get my things.” Nick paused, watching Cory’s face as the smile faded in the slightest. “But I mean I’m still in Seaport, so, I mean, yeah maybe I will see you around, actually!”

“Alright, then, guess I will see you around. Hey, uh, if you ever need anything, by the way, I got you covered,” Cory offered, smirking.

“Thanks,” Nick whispered, rubbing his arms and smiling.

“Anytime. Need help? With moving your stuff?”

_You do not,_ Yoti said.

“Umm maybe,” Nick scoffed. He opened the door to his apartment hastily and stepped aside. “Come in, I’ll get you some water, or juice, or something.”

Cory put a hand on Nick’s back as he passed, and Yoti growled. Nick waved him off, and thought to him, _Be nice._

——

Cory’s car smelled new. It was white, and a moderately expensive model that Nick had seen online a few times. Nick felt small in the front seat, but then again at 5’1 he felt small all the time.

Bad rock was playing on the radio, and Cory tapped his fingers against the steering wheel and bobbed his head slightly. Nick tapped his foot and watched Cory’s eyes. He almost wanted to look inside Cory’s head, like he’d been told he could. He almost wanted to pry, to know what Cory was feeling. He kept his eyes on Cory’s, almost reaching out, almost getting a sense of something…

Nick shook his head and put a hand on his forehead. He was being nosy.

“You okay?” Cory asked, and Nick flinched.

“Um, yeah, just, had a thought,” he said, looking at his hands and fiddling with his thumbs. “I’m good. Thanks again for driving me over, I forgot to ask Shelby or Ghetto. Sorry for interrupting your day.”

Cory smirked. “You’re good, man, don’t even worry about it. I didn’t really have much to do today anyway, I’m all done unpacking,” he hummed, slowing down and peering out the car window to look for the address Nick had given him.

“Didn’t you move in today? You work fast,” Nick said, and Cory nodded.

“I didn’t come over with much,” he said.

_Didn’t come over with much but he sure has a nice car,_ Yoti grumbled, and Nick looked over his shoulder at the backseat where the wolf was sitting, his ears flat and back.

_Yoti, he’s being nice,_ Nick said. Yoti remained unconvinced.

_Men are nice until they’re not,_ he warned, and Nick shook his head and looked forward again.

“Ah, here it is, this is the house.” Nick pointed, and Cory pulled over and turned the car off. Nick hopped out, and Yoti followed suit. Cory popped open the trunk, and Nick reached for a box.

“I can get that, Nick,” Cory offered, pulling out a suitcase filled with clothes as well as the box and carrying them up to the door. It opened before Cory got there, and Shelby peered at him. “Oh, hi, I’m helping Nick with his things, you must be his sister.”

“Nick who is this,” Shelby said, blunt. Nick jogged over to the door and put a hand on Cory’s arm.

“This is Cory, my new neighbor, he agreed to help me bring some stuff over. Just clothes, really, my laptop, stuff like that. This is all it is,” Nick explained, and Shelby snatched the box from Cory’s hands and brought it inside. Nick rubbed his arms, feeling awkward. Shelby’s suspicion was so strong he could feel it without trying.

Cory let out an awkward laugh and held out the handle of the suitcase to Nick. Nick took it, but their hands brushed against each other for a split second. Nick let out a giggle, and Cory smiled back at him. “Well, uh, guess this is goodbye then. For now,” he said, and Nick sighed. “But hey, if you ever wanna swing on by, you know where I live!”

“Yes I do,” Nick whispered, still smiling. “I’ll see you.” Cory rubbed Nick’s shoulder and then walked back to his car, waving goodbye as he got inside. Nick waved back, fiddling with his scarf and watching as Cory drove off.

Yoti groaned and walked inside. Nick followed, still a bit dazed. Shelby was glaring, arms crossed over her chest. “You better not go back there,” she warned. “To your apartment.”

“Why not?” Nick asked, and Shelby narrowed her eyes.

“I don’t trust that Cory guy. We shouldn’t need to worry about him too with everything else going on,” she mumbled, and Yoti nodded at her. Nick rolled his eyes.

“Not everyone is out to get me, alright?” Nick held out his arms out and walked past her. “Cory seems really nice, he offered to bring my stuff and drive me over—”

“Did you look into his head?” Shelby asked, and Nick whipped around to face her. He stomped his foot.

“No, because I’m not an asshole who pokes into people’s personal business!” he exclaimed, looking around. “Where are Ghetto and Jordan?”

“At the grocery store, you can cuss all you fuckin’ want.” Shelby sighed and uncrossed her arms. “I just think you’re still scared to use your powers, Nick. Use that shit to your advantage, alright? If I had your power I’d use the hell out of it. No one can backstab you, no one can hurt you. And maybe you could, help people too or whatever. I know you like helping people.”

Nick pouted and held out his arms. Shelby scoffed and gave him a hug. “My poor widdle bwoder,” she mocked, and Nick groaned.

“Aren’t we twins?” he asked, and Shelby patted his back.

“I came out first.”

“Not without proof you didn’t.”

“Believe whatever you want,” Shelby said, breaking the hug. “I’m your big sister and you can’t stop me.”

“Alright, alright, you’re the one with the magic sword.” Nick held up his hands. Shelby grinned.

“Oh shit, you’re right, mom may have gotten you a wolf and a scarf but I got a kickass katana!” She lightly hit Nick’s arm. “Wanna see what I can do?”

“Yeah!” Nick clapped and nodded. He’d been waiting to see what kind of powers she held; he couldn’t picture her with something like his, all emotions, no beating people up. He could tell she would much rather beat people up.

She held out her hand and the katana flew into it. “Mom tailored this to my powers. Try to hold it.” She held out the handle towards Nick and he took it, gasping at the weight. It clattered to the ground, too heavy to even hold. Shelby picked it back up easily. “Only I can hold it, it’s like Thor’s fuckin’ hammer but cooler. It can slice clean through anything, I can’t wait to behead all my enemies with it.”

“Okay woah,” Nick said, slightly concerned. Shelby huffed.

“You don’t have to watch me behead them if you don’t want to,” she said, waving it off. Nick scoffed nervously and nodded. “Anyway, that’s not all I can do, I can control earth. Like trees and dirt and rocks and shit!”

“Oh, so you can grow plants?” Nick asked.

“More like I can hurl forests at people!” Shelby held up her hand, and Nick laughed. He high fived her.

“I’m so glad I finally get to hear your voice again, to see you!” Nick said, tearing up again. Shelby gave him another hug, and he hid his face. “You’re still the same, I missed you so much. I love you.”

“I love you too! You’re so nice.” Nick could hear the “too nice” in the tone of her voice and the feelings buzzing about in her head, but he was just glad he finally had his sister back, and she loved him, and wasn’t mad at him for what happened those few years ago. It felt like an eternity without her, with Rich. “Nick? You’re gonna be okay.”

“I know.”

“Come watch me throw rocks with my mind.”

“Alright.”

——

“Okay, kids tend to be easier to read, so, what’s Jordan feeling right now?” Ghetto asked, rubbing Jordan’s arm. Nick took a sip of his hot cocoa and tilted his head, squinting at the boy. Jordan leaned closer to Ghetto, shrinking a bit under Nick’s gaze.

“Well he’s nervous,” Nick said, and Yoti shook his head.

_Don’t rely on body language alone, there are people who are good at pretending,_ he advised, and Nick took a deep breath.

“Don’t worry, Jordan, by the way, it’s just me,” he said, and Jordan nodded. An air of calm filled the room as Nick took some more deep breaths and shut his eyes, as if he was influencing them.

He could tell whose emotions were whose. He’d been there a couple of days, had gotten to know them more, and he had a grasp on what they felt, for the most part.

Shelby was happy, but also anxious; she was worried about Red showing up, constantly on guard. Her anxiety had only gotten worse with each uneventful day that passed. She was afraid Red was planning something big, something that could put Nick in danger. But she was also confident she could protect him from whatever it was. Nick always ignored anything relating to Rich that sprung up in her worries. Her anger was too much for him.

Ghetto’s feelings were a bit more difficult to place. He was good at hiding what he really felt under jokes and smiles, but Nick could feel his worry, and his anger. He was beyond pissed at what Red tried to pull with Jordan, beyond pissed the fucker hadn’t been killed yet. Ghetto wanted to kill Red, and didn’t find trouble justifying it. Jordan was essentially his son, he loved the kid, and if anyone messed with said kid so severely like Red did, they were as good as dead. That was about where Ghetto’s feelings began to get fuzzy for Nick. There was more there, but Nick couldn’t define it. He felt it sometimes, when Ghetto was around Nick, talking to him, and such. Nick got headaches trying to figure it out; it was a kind of mental static.

Jordan’s feelings were more of a challenge than Nick expected. There was so much love he felt that it nearly drowned out everything else; love for Ghetto, for Shelby, even for Nick. But if Nick really tried, he could feel the other things too. There was a fear of death that no child should never have to experience at such a severity, fear of himself dying and fear of those he loves dying. There was grief, too, for a mother and father he’d been too young to remember. Nick always got teary eyed when he felt it.

He focused on the superficial feelings whenever he had to say it aloud. “He loves us, of course. He’s a little nervous that I’m looking into his head,” Nick scoffed, and Jordan snickered, “but he’s calming down. He’s happy.”

Jordan pulled Ghetto over to the couch, sitting right next to Nick. Ghetto sat next to Jordan and smiled warmly at Nick, who began to feel that unknown static feeling he felt from the shapeshifter. Ghetto suddenly glanced away, watching through the window to the backyard as Shelby twirled her katana and sliced at an imaginary foe. He scoffed.

“You know, she’s an awesome sister,” he said, and Nick nodded. “She really will protect you. Like really.”

“I want a sister sometimes,” Jordan mumbled. Nick felt Ghetto’s sudden nervousness, but that much was obvious; he was still looking away, fidgeting with his hands and pulling one leg closer to his body as if it could somehow shield him. But shield him from what? There was that static again, buzzing in Nick’s brain.

“Well,” Ghetto scoffed. “I mean— I mean I guess if I found another kid out there who needed help, I’d take them in too.”

“Uh huh,” Jordan mumbled, turning his gaze to Shelby. “WOAH SHE’S LIFTING ROCKS!”

Nick and Ghetto snickered as Jordan jumped up and ran out into the backyard. “You raised him well,” Nick said, and Ghetto shrugged.

“Jordan’s a dream, he’s the sweetest damn kid you’ll ever meet. I was fairly young when I found him, but he was always like my kid. My boy. I love the little tiger,” Ghetto said, and Nick nodded.

“I know. You care a lot about him.” Nick took a deep breath. “And you know, I’ll, do my best, to keep him safe too. He deserves the world, he’s been through too much already, I can see that clearly. Losing his parents, and getting kidnapped, and all. He’s really worried, about you, all of us.”

“You saw all that in his head?” Ghetto asked, his eyes wide. “I better talk to Jordan about how he’s feeling at some point soon. He’s a little like me, keeps shit in, but you probably know that. You’re really incredible, I hope you know that too.”

Nick blushed and smiled, trying to hide his face in his scarf. “I never thought of myself as anything special. Just, ordinary. That’s always what I wanted to be,” he mumbled, and Ghetto shook his head.

“You’re just incredible, man,” Ghetto repeated, and the static filled the room. “Ordinary doesn’t suit Nick Lynx.”

Nick rubbed his arms and couldn’t help but smile wider.

——

Nick didn’t know how he forgot his laptop charger at his apartment. Some kind of mistake, the stress, Cory, maybe. He needed it. He was enrolled in an online college and intended to get his money’s worth, man-eating monster or not. He’d been meaning to ask someone to go with him, but he couldn’t gather the courage.

He snuck out.

The bus stop was only a five minute walk, and the lights were always brighter in the slightly nicer neighborhood where Ghetto’s house was. It was night, but not too late, so there were still some fairly normal people on the streets and on the bus. Nick would make it quick.

There was a woman sitting across from him with her head down, a hood pulled far over it. Black hair fell in front of her face, and she was messing with the zipper of a hoodie that looked too big for her. Nick couldn’t ignore her grief, and all of a sudden he found himself crying over someone he didn’t know. He gasped and wiped his eyes, but the tears kept coming. Her girlfriend was missing, she’d just been at the police station and they told her there was little hope. Deep down, she knew they were right. Nick covered his mouth as the bus stopped, and he ran outside, trying to take deep breaths. As he walked away, the crying stopped, and Nick was able to calm himself. “Red took her,” he mumbled, and he groaned. “Oh, god.”

Nick saw Cory’s car in the parking lot as he walked into the lobby. No one said hi to him (they never did, only whispered when he was away) when he climbed the stairs and made it to his door. The keys shook in his hands but he opened the door and stepped inside his apartment, sure to close the door behind him and turn the lights on. He wanted to go back to the house, and he wiped his eyes one more time before he felt it, and froze.

It wasn’t like any feeling he’d ever felt before, and yet it was so familiar. It was dark, and strong, and overpowering. Nick’s whole body began to shake as it washed over him from behind and made him gag. It was wrong. It was deprived of empathy, caring, compassion. It was raw, sinister, hunger. “R…” Nick began, horrified, like he’d just been caught.

The lights went out. The door locked behind him. He gasped and whipped around, seeing the tall silhouette at the door, bright red eyes slightly illuminating Red’s blank face. Nick didn’t scream, he only gripped his hair as Red’s mind engulfed him, making him nauseous. Red chuckled.

“Don’t like that, do you? It’s hilarious, your powers can’t even help you against me. You’re really nothing without your powerful friends, aren’t you? And where are they now?” Red clamped his hands on Nick’s wrists, and Nick yelped.

_SHELBY!_ he cried out inside his head as Red slammed him against a wall, hands pinned above his head.

“You’re really alone now,” Red whispered, moving one of his hands to Nick’s waist. Nick felt himself start to go limp like before. “God, you’re one piece of food I just love to play with.”

_PLEASE!_ The hand untucked his shirt. _SHELBY!_ It moved up his stomach to his binder. _Please._

The door burst open, and Nick gasped at the blond at the door. “Cory!” he breathed, and Red bared his teeth. He let go of Nick, and Nick slid to the floor, feeling faint. Cory looked between him and Red.

“You’ve made a mistake, boy, this is my meal,” Red hissed, and Cory raised his fists. Red snarled and lunged at him. Cory grabbed him by the arms and threw him to the ground, not allowing Red to grab him. He moved in front of Nick, breathing heavy. Red got up and stared. Then, he was gone, and the lights turned back on. Cory turned to Nick and ran over to him, kneeling by him.

“Nick, hey, I’m here, you’re okay,” Cory said, pulling Nick close, Nick’s head against his chest. “Nick, can you move?”

Nick hid his face. “No,” he mumbled, letting out a sob. Cory sighed and took off his jacket.

“You’ll be okay, shhh, I got you. I got you, you’re safe with me,” Cory whispered, as Nick found himself fading away again.

——

Nick woke up with arms around him. He looked up just in time to see Cory laying him down in bed. “Hey, I was just gonna let you rest in my room for a bit,” he said, brushing the hair out of Nick’s face. Nick shied away, soon noticing there was a hoodie around him, too big for him, but warm. “You’re shivering, I gave you my jacket.” He pulled the sheets over Nick as well, touching his face again. Nick covered his face and let out a sob, his hands concealed by the sleeves of Cory’s hoodie. Cory gasped and sat on the bed, hugging Nick close.

“Red’s gone, he’s gone. You’re safe, I’m here. I got you.”

“Cory, I, I felt something— something bad,” Nick whispered. Cory nodded.

“He wasn’t human. Neither are you, aren’t you?” Nick gasped and looked up at Cory, who sighed. “I heard, um, I heard him talking about you having powers. And um, I’ve dealt with that guy before, Red, and, and other- cryptids,” he explained, rubbing Nick’s arm. Nick put his hand over Cory’s.

“Emotions, I can, um, feel other people’s feelings.” Cory’s eyes narrowed at that. Nick looked away. “Well, um, I’m not the best at it yet. It’s either gotta be a really strong feeling or I gotta really try. Don’t worry about um, me reading your mind or whatever. I wouldn’t do that.”

Cory shook his head. “That’s not what— I wasn’t worried about that,” he said. “I’m... just glad you’re safe.”

“Really?” Nick whispered, eyes wide. Cory nodded and smiled.

“Real—”

The door slammed open, making both Nick and Cory jump. “GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!” Shelby yelled, and Yoti ran past her, jumping up on the bed and growling. Cory did as he was told, letting go of Nick and holding his arms out defensively. Shelby grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled his face close, her katana in her free hand. Yoti sniffed Nick while the teen lightly pet the wolf’s head. “What did you do to him, I heard him call out for me!”

“You couldn’t get here any slower, kid,” Cory sneered. “Red. It was Red. I saved Nick, where the hell were you?”

Shelby narrowed her eyes, then turned her gaze to Nick. “Nick?”

“He’s— he’s right, he saved me, um, Red was in my apartment, I had no idea, Shelby I’m so sorry I just didn’t want to bother you,” Nick whispered, and Shelby sighed.

“Dammit, the motherfucker. Nick, let’s go,” Shelby said, and Yoti nodded.

_Please, let’s,_ Yoti agreed. Nick looked at Cory with wide eyes, and Cory looked back.

“Thanks,” Nick whispered, and then he slowly got up. Cory gave Nick a small salute. Shelby sent Cory one last glare before turning around and ushering Nick out.

——

Nick was still in Cory’s hoodie, and he only realized it when he got home. It was all he could think about as Yoti paced back and forth and gave him a lecture on why he should not go out on his own anymore, not for anything. Yoti seemed mad, was mad. Nick knew, and Nick figured he should pay attention to Yoti’s lectures, especially this one, but the damn jacket would not get out of his mind. Neither could Cory himself.

“Who even is that Cory guy anyway, and how the fuck does he know about Red?” Shelby suddenly asked, and Yoti stopped pacing. Nick pulled the sleeves of the jacket over his hands.

“Um, he just said he’s encountered Red and others before, he didn’t tell me anything else,” Nick said, and Shelby grunted.

“What is his deal anyway, he got way too close to you,” she mumbled, and Nick shook his head.

“It was really, it was really okay, I think I might— I don’t know, go see him tomorrow.”

_Nick,_ Yoti sighed, _I’m not sure if I like that._

“It’s fine,” Nick said. “I don’t think he’s dangerous, he’s— well he’s nice!” He paused, suddenly feeling something off of Ghetto from the other room. He shook it off. “He— he saved my life. How bad can he be. And if he knows things about Red, maybe I could talk to him too!”

Shelby groaned and mumbled a defeated, “Whatever, do what you want, just be careful,” before walking into her room. “I need sleep.” Then, in Nick’s head, _Love you._

_Love you too._ Nick scoffed and stood up. “Guess I’m going to bed.”

_You better,_ Yoti growled, and Nick pet his head. _I’m, just glad you weren’t harmed. I’m deeply sorry I wasn’t able to get to you sooner._

“Yoti,” Nick began, catching himself. _I was the one who ran off. I keep running off._

_You’re an adult, you can do as you please, but do consider the consequences of your actions. There is someone after you,_ Yoti said, staring Nick down. _Someone dangerous._

“Nothing can ever be easy for me, huh,” Nick said aloud, and Yoti lowered his head.

“Nick?” Nick looked over to see Jordan at the opening of the hallway. He shook his head and walked towards the weretiger. Jordan ran up and gave Nick a hug. “I don’t want you to go away,” he mumbled, and Nick gasped.

“Jordan, I, it’s okay, I’ll be okay! Your dad and my sister and Yoti will kick Red’s butt,” Nick reassured, his hand placed gently on Jordan’s head. Jordan hugged Nick tighter. “Promise.”

Ghetto came out of his room, sighed, and walked up to them. “Jordan, you need to sleep buddy,” he said, rubbing Jordan’s back. He and Nick exchanged sad glances.

“I’m sorry I caused all the commotion. I never meant to... drag everyone into my problems, I guess,” Nick mumbled, mindlessly running his fingers through Jordan’s hair. Ghetto reached out, and, after Nick nodded, squeezed Nick’s shoulder soothingly.

“It’s what friends are for, Nick.” Ghetto smiled, and then Nick pulled him into a hug with one hand, the other wrapping tightly around Jordan. “Awe, you softie. You and Jordan and your hugs.”

“Ghetto hugs are the best,” Jordan said, and Ghetto chuckled.

“I’ll take your word for it, tiger,” he said, holding Jordan and Nick close. Nick had never felt truly safe, but that hug sure as hell felt closer than he’d ever gotten before. Ghetto was warm, and Nick could feel his chest rising and falling, hear his heart beating. He never wanted to let go; he wanted to be in Ghetto’s arms forever, shielded.

And then along came Cory, his voice and his eyes and his smile, and most strikingly, the smell of him on the hoodie Nick was still wearing. Nick slowly slipped out of the hug, and Ghetto gazed at him. “You good?”

“Yeah, um, I’m just tired. I should get some sleep,” Nick whispered, his face red. He put a hand on his head and walked off to his room, sitting on his bed and putting his head in his hands. “Oh no. No no no, I— oh no.”

——

Nick took the bus to Cory’s apartment, this time with Yoti. It was the morning after Red attacked again, and Nick had a new problem aside from the creepy man-eating monster that was continuously taunting him (though, that was a pretty big issue).

Nick hadn’t had a crush for ages. He wasn’t particularly good at dealing with them either, and having two of them at the same time seemed absolutely unnecessary, and, frankly, rude.

Or maybe he didn’t! Maybe it was just because they were his first friends since— since ever, really, and he was interpreting his own feelings wrong; that would definitely be ironic. _Nick?_ He never thought he’d have another crush, never thought he was able to. _Nick._ God, he just wanted to FINISH HIS DAMN COLLEGE CLASSES AND LIVE A FAIRLY NORMAL AND QUIET LIFE. HE DID NOT NEED THIS. He felt like he was in a Lifetime movie, except with cryptids and magic powers. Did Lifetime movies have those?

_NICK! Are you feeling alright you look quite stressed,_ Yoti said, snapping Nick out of his trance. _Well. More so than usual._

_I’m fine,_ Nick droned. _It’s nothing serious. Kinda stupid actually._

_What’s stupid?_ Shelby asked, suddenly. Nick jumped at her voice.

_Shelby what the hell!_

_Are we gossiping? What’s on your mind?_ Shelby asked.

_NOTHING SHELBY._ Nick’s face was heating up again.

_I don’t believe you!_

_Neither do I,_ Yoti added.

_Guys we are not about to have a group call in my head while I am trying to function like a proper human being on the bus,_ Nick urged. _And I am fine! I’m only worried about ohh the usual, getting eaten, all that. That’s it! Nothing else that matters._

_Ooookaay fine. Be careful keep in touch okay?_ Shelby said, and Nick scoffed.

_Of course._

The rest of the bus ride was silent aside from Yoti’s tail thumping against the floor impatiently. Nick kept getting whiffs of other people’s emotions; it was clear his powers were getting stronger. He still felt bad for snooping, even if it was unintentional.

When Nick got off the bus, he nodded to Yoti, telling him he could take it from there. _I’ll be close,_ Yoti said, and Nick walked up to his apartment building, alone again, but less so. He didn’t know why he was so nervous, it was just Cory. Just Cory, the mysterious neighbor who was holding something back for sure. Nick didn’t need his powers to see that.

Nick knocked on the door rather lightly, his eyes wide. He heard shuffling on the other side of the door, and then Cory opened it, looking tired. “Nick,” he breathed. “You’re here. Alone?”

“Yoti, um, my dog— my familiar? Is close, but, we have privacy, I um, wanted to talk to you, if that’s okay,” Nick said, and Cory blinked, then nodded.

“Um, come on in,” Cory offered, stepping aside. “I’ll get us some water.”

“Thank you,” Nick said as he walked inside. “I brought your hoodie back, it’s in my bag.”

“Oh, keep it!”

“If you’re sure.” Nick nodded and looked around. The apartment definitely looked new; the walls were bare, and Cory had nearly no trinkets or photographs anywhere. There was only a black and white picture of a wilting rose by the doorway. “Still getting settled?”

“Oh, yeah, uh, you were lucky last night, I had just finished setting up the bed. Fuckin’ Ikea, y’know?” Cory chuckled, and Nick giggled back. “But yeah, um, last night. The fuck did I miss? He... his hand—”

Nick glanced away. “I don’t know, Red was just, I think he was gonna, eat me, or, something. It’s whatever,” he mumbled.

“It’s not whatever, you could’ve gotten hurt, you did, you passed out! I know he has paralysis powers, and you’re—” Cory sighed and handed Nick a glass of water, “you’re small. But your powers can’t help you at all?”

Nick shook his head. “I couldn’t even focus. There was something about him, something— just not right. With his mind. It was disturbing and I couldn’t stop feeling it. It made me nauseous, on top of the paralysis,” he explained, almost gagging at the reminder. As he took a sip of water, Cory swirled his own around in its glass, looking angry. “You’re mad.”

“Yeah, at Red, but— but at your powers, too. Why the fuck— how can that ever help you in a situation like this?” Cory set his water down and walked closer to Nick, taking his hand. “If every time you’re around Red you start to feel sick, it’s gonna give him the opportunity to hurt you more. You can’t use them, I don’t know, turn them off, or something, at least for now.”

“But—” Nick stuttered, “I just turned them back on, these powers are a part of me, Shelby says—”

“Your sister? Who didn’t get there in time?” Cory scoffed. “Nick, it just seems to me your powers only serve to make you miserable.”

Nick looked back to the lady on the bus. The way he cried her tears. He looked at his feet.

Cory’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s, it’s fine,” Nick said. He didn’t know why his stomach was twisting. It seemed like he didn’t know anything.

“I upset you, I didn’t mean to, I— I just care about you. We can talk about something else,” Cory stuttered, brushing his hair back and looking away. Nick felt bad, and squeezed Cory’s hand.

“I get it, alright? I can tell you’re scared,” Nick said. “That you went through something, before. We don’t have to talk about it.”

Cory’s eyes were wide. “No, I mean, we can talk, I just didn’t think— you can tell a lot, can’t you?”

“I don’t mean to pry—”

“No, um, let’s sit.” Cory let go of Nick’s hand, grabbed his glass of water, and led Nick to the couch. They both sat, and Cory turned to Nick. He looked nervous, like he didn’t know where to start. “A year ago, something, happened. I was with an old friend. He was kind of an oddball, older than me too, uh, see, he was my General. Back when I was in the army. We were in the woods, and we hear howling, and, all of a sudden this huge pack of werewolves just, appears out of nowhere. They attack us, totally unprovoked.”

Nick took Cory’s hand in both of his. “Oh, god,” he whispered.

“They outnumbered us, and, before I could stop it, my friend, my General…” Cory took a couple deep breaths, closing his eyes, “he was killed.”

Nick covered his mouth and gasped. “Cory,” he said, his voice cracking. “Cory I’m sorry.” He scooted closer, and Cory let Nick rub his small thumb on his hand in a comforting manner. “And you escaped…”

“Without a scratch. Well, nearly,” Cory said, and he lifted his shirt with his free hand. Nick shut his eyes when he saw the big scar on his side. Cory moved his other hand along with Nick’s, placing Nick’s hand against it. Nick let out a shaky breath. “A werewolf gave me that, I didn’t dodge in time. Not a bite, a scratch, so don’t worry.”

“Cory,” Nick said again, shaking his head. Cory was still pressing Nick’s hand to the spot.

“And I heard that— that Red was involved. Somehow. So I’m trying to avenge my General,” Cory said, and Nick nodded.

“Maybe we can work together. To take Red down, so he can’t hurt either of us anymore, or anyone else—” Nick was interrupted by a kiss. He froze, his hand still on Cory’s side. Cory leaned in further and cupped Nick’s cheeks as the kiss went on. Nick was shaking, trying not to cringe at the faint taste of beer and cigarettes on Cory’s lips, and when he heard Yoti’s voice in his head he jumped so bad the kiss broke.

_Are you not hearing Shelby’s calls? She wants us back soon, are you almost wrapped up there?_ Yoti asked, and Nick stuttered, wide eyed. Cory licked his lips and leaned back.

“Nick?”

“I—” Nick moved his hand off of Cory. “I have to— go.”

Cory pulled his shirt down further. “Understood.”

Nick stood up, shaking even worse. “Cory I— we can talk more later. I’ll tell— the— the others you— you’re on board.”

“Yeah.” Cory nodded.

_Sorry Yoti. I’m coming._ Nick backed away and left the apartment, his face red hot and his breaths quick. He put a hand on his forehead and said, “Fuck.”

——

“People keep on disappearing, we can’t do nothing, there has to be some kind of weakness,” Ghetto said, and Shelby shrugged.

“No one you know has anything on this guy? He’s a pretty well known hostile and no one knows what he actually is?” she asked. Ghetto shook his head and sat down on the couch across from Nick, who avoided eye contact.

“Not a single clue. All I know is, he was made to be a hunter, a predator. With his teeth and his eyes and his paralysis, it’s meant to hunt. Maybe his kind usually keeps quiet, blends in with the other cryptids who hunt deer and stuff to eat, but Red’s made a name for himself actually eating people. There are so many species and variations of species of cryptids out there,” Ghetto explained.

Shelby huffed. “But why did he have to be one of those, why can’t he be something we know how to kill! It’s dumb!”

“I know it’s bad luck, Shelby, but it looks like we’re just gonna have to take a leap. Or a few.” Ghetto sighed. “Shit.”

“Jordan still sleeping?” Shelby asked, and Ghetto nodded.

“He keeps getting nightmares. He was up all night. We need to get Red, I want to get Red. Serves him right for fucking with my son like that, and with Nick too, and everyone else,” Ghetto grumbled, bouncing his knee and watching Shelby pace back and forth.

“God, I’d so bug Jin right now if he wasn’t freaked out about his own shit, he’s the nerd. We need a nerd.”

“If we need extra help, Cory said he would help,” Nick said, and Shelby stopped. It was the first time he’d spoken since he got back a couple hours ago.

“Santiago is not a nerd, Nick. What did he even say earlier today anyway,” Shelby spat. Nick stuttered.

“Uh— just that he um, he also wants Red dead. For a personal reason. That’s all he said,” he blurted out. “And I know he’s not a nerd, I’m just saying if we need help we should take it, at this point. Maybe.”

“UGH I changed my mind, you’re the nerd,” Shelby grumbled, patting Nick on the head. “And, you do have a point. We have a common enemy, us and Cory. Even if he’s kind of a weirdo. If he knows anything we don’t, we can work together. Briefly.”

Nick wanted to sink into the couch and disappear, just for a couple minutes. He wanted to go back to Cory, even, but at the same time he didn’t? He felt like his world was spinning—

The hallway light by Jordan’s room flickered. Nick stood up, followed promptly by Ghetto, who broke into a sudden sprint. Shelby’s katana flung to her hand and she approached slower, ready to strike. When Ghetto emerged from Jordan’s room with a very tired looking boy in his arms, the twins let out a breath. But the light still flickered. Ghetto moved away from it, planting himself in front of Nick. The four watched it for a while.

“Huh,” Ghetto said, “must just be a light at the end of its life, guys.”

“Fucking shit, we’re paranoid,” Shelby sighed, staring at the light in disbelief. Nick walked up to her and held her hand, leaning on her. She rubbed his back.

——

Cory came over the next afternoon. Nick hid for most of it and worked on his classes (now equipped with a laptop charger), though he wore Cory’s hoodie, because dammit, it was cozy and warm and Seaport got cold in December. At least there wasn’t snow.

Nick paused for just a moment, and heard Cory’s voice: “I tracked him down to an abandoned prison, but it’s all the way in Georgia, and it’s heavily guarded. What the hell he was doing in Georgia when he’s getting most of his victims from Seaport, I don’t know, maybe Seaport’s too small for the kind of manpower he’s holding. I know he does have hold on an old factory here, too, though. I don’t know what he does with it.”

And then Shelby’s: “All the way in Georgia? I guess he can teleport.”

_Nick?_ Shelby suddenly asked, and Nick perked up. _Nick please come out here I can’t stand him I’m gonna wring his neck I need you to keep me calm._

Nick couldn’t help but giggle at her. _I really need to get these lessons done, Shelb. Take deep breaths with me._

_No._

Nick let out a loud, deep sigh that he made sure Shelby heard, setting his computer aside. He figured maybe in front of everyone else (especially Shelby), Cory wouldn’t mention what happened. And he would also rather not have Shelby blow up at Cory at any point.

He got out of bed and stood still for a while, putting on and taking off Cory’s hoodie, trying to decide whether or not to take it off.

He kept it on. He walked out, softly closing his door behind him. Yoti was laying down by the door, nervous about Nick’s emergence. Cory and Shelby were both standing, while Ghetto sat on the couch, not paying as much attention. Shelby let out a breath when she saw him, ushering him over. He didn’t meet Cory’s eyes, but he could feel the stare as he walked to his sister.

“Hello again,” Cory said, scoffing. Nick shuffled closer to Shelby.

“Hi. Just thought I should, like, listen in,” he whispered, flashing Cory a quick smile.

_I was kinda joking, Nick, you didn’t have to,_ Shelby told him.

_No, no, it’s fine,_ Nick reassured. _We don’t need any sudden bloodshed right over Ghetto’s nice carpet._

_Heeey, I wouldn’t do THAT. His voice just annoys me. And his existence. Oh wait he’s saying some bullshit._

“So, as I was saying, hah,” Cory began, shaking his head. “Red has a network of hostiles all over the East Coast, he’s been spotted in Greenfield,” Ghetto nodded to that, “Georgia, here... he’s everywhere.”

“But he’s here now, and here is where we’re gonna get him. It’s just a matter of how,” Shelby said, nearly interrupting him (this was, of course, intentional). Nick slipped away from her and sat on the couch by Ghetto.

“Does he know what Red is?” Nick asked quietly, and Ghetto shook his head.

“No, but he’s been tracking the guy like crazy. He knows all Red’s bases, it’s almost obsessive,” Ghetto whispered. Nick nodded and looked back at Cory, who was still talking with Shelby.

“He’s loyal,” Nick said, and Ghetto sighed.

“That’s one way to put it.”

“Hey.”

Nick looked up at Cory, his chest tightening. Cory stood with his hands in his pockets, almost looming over Nick. “Can we talk?” he asked, and Ghetto put a hand on Nick’s shoulder. “Alone?”

Nick put his hand over Ghetto’s to calm him. “Okay,” he said, standing up. “It’s okay, Ghetto, don’t worry about me.”

Cory pulled Nick into the hall, Shelby glaring intensely. Yoti approached slowly as they slipped into Nick’s room and closed the door.

“Nick we can’t just ignore what happened,” Cory whispered, and Nick shook his head.

“No, I, I know, I, didn’t think you were coming over, I, I was nervous, I’ve never really— I— um—” he stuttered, taking a step back. Cory held Nick’s shoulders.

“I’ve never liked someone the way I like you,” Cory said, his eyes wide. Nick blanked, his mouth hung open. “I can’t stop looking into your eyes, I can’t stop remembering what happened, the kiss.” Their lips seemed so close. “I gotta be honest, I miss that feeling so much.”

Nick felt like he couldn’t breathe. “Cory, I— there’s— I don’t know what to—”

“Nick, you like me, I know it. I know it,” Cory breathed, cupping Nick’s face. “I know your sister doesn’t want me around you. She can’t control what you do. You like me, don’t just ignore that.”

“I do like you, I— I do,” Nick gasped, “but there’s so much—”

“You can’t leave me hanging on that one kiss, Nick.”

“I’m sorry,” Nick said, and Cory brushed Nick’s hair out of his eyes. He lifted Nick’s chin.

“It’s okay, I forgive you.” Cory kissed Nick again, deeper than last time. Nick’s shaky hands rested on Cory’s shoulders and Cory pulled Nick in by the waist, one hand running through Nick’s hair, grabbing at it. Nick tried to relax, tried to kiss back even though Cory tasted like cigarettes, because nothing was wrong, nothing at all.

The kiss broke, and Nick hid his face in Cory’s chest. Cory’s hands inched further down Nick’s body.

The door opened, and Cory pushed Nick away at the sight of Shelby. Nick put his hand over his mouth as Shelby stomped in, raising her katana. “Get the fuck out,” she ordered to Cory, pointing towards the door. “GET OUT!”

“Shelby—” Nick held out a hand, but she paid him no mind.

“I’m gonna count to fucking three you fucking creep. One.” The ground shook almost menacingly beneath them. Cory held up his hands.

“You need me,” he said.

“I don’t. Two.”

“Shelby please stop,” Nick whimpered, his hands on his head. Cory glanced at him, and Shelby grit her teeth.

“Three.” She raised her katana.

“I like him Shelby!” She hesitated, and turned to Nick. Cory scoffed. Nick gripped at his hair. “I like him,” he said, nodding. “We kissed and I like him.”

Shelby frowned, confused. “Nick, he’s too—”

“I just really like him and I don’t— I’d rather you not—” Nick covered his face. “Just let me, Shelby. Please. As my sister.”

Shelby breathed hard through her nose, lowering her katana. “You better watch what you fucking do,” she warned, glaring daggers at Cory. “I will know if something goes wrong. I will know.”

“Uh huh,” Cory whispered, hands up, walking towards the door. “I’ll come tomorrow, Nick.”

“Yeah,” Nick said, waving goodbye. Cory smirked, and left. Nick and Shelby were silent, waiting to hear the opening and closing of the front door. Once they did, Shelby sighed.

“You weren’t responding to me, I got nervous,” she said, and then she began to leave. Nick reached out for her, grabbing her hand.

“You were talking to me?” he asked, putting a finger to his temple. Shelby nodded. “I didn’t hear you Shelby I swear. I’m sorry.”

“It’s whatever. Like I said before, do what you want,” she said, and she walked out. Nick covered his face with his hands and whined.

——

Nick had been brushing his teeth for a long time, ridding himself of the lingering taste of cigarette smoke and alcohol, the mint harsh on his tongue. He splashed water in his face and sighed, rubbing tired eyes.

A foul feeling filled the room, and Nick shuddered, nausea setting in. He let out a shaky breath. “Hey doll,” Red said, leaning against the opposite wall. Nick looked up, seeing his reflection in the mirror. Nick locked eyes with the reflection, hands shaking.

“What are you doing here,” he whispered, frozen in fear. Red looked around, observing the bathroom curiously. Then, he turned back to Nick’s reflection, and hummed.

“You know what, Nick. You feel it.”

Nick covered his mouth, eyes narrowing. Red took a step closer, and the nausea increased tenfold, forcing Nick to lean on the bathroom counter.

“I’m getting hungry,” Red said, and Nick’s eyes widened as he took another step closer.

Nick woke up in a cold sweat, sitting up and taking short, frantic breaths. He gripped his chest, and his stomach lurched. He scrambled out of bed, sprinting across the hall to the bathroom. He fell to his knees over the toilet and threw up what little he’d eaten, the feeling of RED so potent that it made him sick. The hyperventilating was making him lightheaded. Something was wrong.

“NICK! Nick what’s wrong!” Shelby kneeled by Nick, rubbing his back and wrenching a hair tie off her wrist. She pulled his hair back and winced as he vomited again. “Nick—”

“House— he’s— in the house— Ri— Red’s in—” Nick choked out a sob, his body shaking violently. Shelby felt his head.

“Shit, you’re burning up big time,” she said. “Nick, calm down, Red can’t be here, there’s no way, the place is warded and he doesn’t know the address anyway.”

Nick shook his head, tears stinging his eyes and forcing them shut. “Red’s here I can feel— his hunger, it’s too strong— he’s here, HE’S IN HERE!”

“The fuck’s going on?” Ghetto asked, appearing at the door with Jordan and flicking on the hallway light. Nick looked up.

“Red, it’s Red, he’s here,” he said again, and Ghetto shook his head.

“No flippin’ way. Part of the warding I put up makes this house nearly unfindable in the first place, Nick, without the exact address, no one can—”

The snarling noise and the flicker of the light made everyone freeze. Nick gasped. _YOTI?_

_You were correct Nick!_ Yoti’s frantic voice said back, and Shelby nodded.

“I heard him, I’ll go. Ghetto, stay with Nick and Jordan,” she said, and she ran towards the noise. Jordan and Ghetto sat by Nick; Ghetto shut the door.

“Cory,” Nick whispered, his heart pounding in his chest. “Cory I miss Cory.”

Ghetto sighed. “If you want me to call him, I have his number.”

Nick nodded, sniffling. Ghetto pulled out his phone. The green light emanating from his lockscreen was there for only a moment before it was snuffed out, along with the hallway light.

Suddenly, Nick was alone. He looked around, confused. “Ghetto?” he called, but Ghetto wasn’t where he had just been, and neither was Jordan.

“I wouldn’t worry about the shapeshifter right now.” Nick gasped and slid back into the corner of the room when he saw Red in the doorway.

“What did you do,” Nick asked, looking around. “Where did they GO!”

Red smirked. “I wanted to have a private conversation with you. No hands, if that’s what you’re all worked up about,” he said, holding up his hands. Nick shivered.

“What do you want from me,” he breathed, and Red crossed his arms over his chest.

“Can’t you feel it? You know exactly what I want.”

Nick did. It was so strong it almost made him numb.

“I’m hungry. Always hungry, always will be. Empaths taste good, all the feelings give them extra flavor. And oh, screamers, they are.” Red lowered to Nick’s height. “But not you. You can only scream in your head, in your dreams, in your worst nightmares. I know your worst nightmares,” he said, and he began to giggle. “I know exactly how to make you hurt the most.”

“Why?” Nick asked, the tears streaming down his face now. He could barely hear himself speak; Red’s feelings made his ears ring. But there was something besides the hunger, something worse. “Why do you do all this to people, torture them like this!”

Red stood back up, very slowly. “Why, you already know this, you can feel it, I know you can,” he said, and he grinned, revealing grotesque sharp teeth. “Simply because it’s fun, doll!”

Then, Red threw his head back and cackled. Nick covered his ears and shut his eyes, but it wasn’t enough to dull Red’s twisted amusement. Nick began to laugh involuntarily, his body trembling. He covered his mouth, but couldn’t stop it. He doubled over and tears fell on the tile floor as the screaming laughs were forced out of him, so intense they hurt his core. He hated it, he wanted it gone, he hated it and he wanted it GONE—

The lights came back on. Nick gasped for air, feeling a few hands on his back. He stopped laughing, and looked up. There was Cory, blue eyes wide, right in front of him. Nick gasped and dove into his arms, sobbing into his shoulder. Another hand, a smaller one, patted him on the back. Nick lifted his head and saw Jordan and Ghetto.

“Guys,” Nick said, breathing a sigh of relief. He reached out and held Jordan’s hand. “Where’d you go?”

“What do you mean?” Jordan whimpered. “You were talking to yourself, and then you started laughing, you freaked us out!”

Nick choked out a sob and went back to Cory’s shoulder. “I wanna go, Cory I wanna go,” he cried, and Cory rocked him back and forth.

“We can go. We can go Nick, we can go,” Cory said as Shelby and Yoti ran back.

“Red disappeared, we couldn’t get a hit on him, he’s too damn fast,” Shelby panted. “When the fuck did you get here.”

“Ghetto called me, and I was nearby anyway,” Cory said, and he slowly lifted Nick. “He wants to get out of here, I think he saw something.”

“I wanna go,” Nick repeated, and Shelby shook her head.

“You can’t just leave with him like this,” she said, and Nick held onto Cory. Ghetto got to his feet.

“Let him go, it’s what he wants to do,” he said, and Shelby pinched the bridge of her nose. “Shelb, don’t make him stay here.”

“Go,” she said, and Cory nodded.

“I’ll have him back as soon as he lets me.”

“I’m sure you will,” Shelby said, glaring as he walked past. Nick didn’t want to feel her anger; he didn’t want to feel anything.

——

Nick could feel the rise and fall of Cory’s chest against his back, and Cory’s breaths against his neck. Cory was spooning him, his hand wrapped around Nick’s waist, their legs intertwined. Nick could tell Cory wasn’t asleep, he could always tell the difference.

“How are you feeling?” Cory whispered, shifting his hand and rubbing his thumb against Nick’s thigh. Nick sniffled.

“You were right. My powers only hurt me, make me something I don’t want to be. It was awful,” he said, and Cory held him closer.

“It wasn’t you laughing, remember that,” Cory assured, planting a kiss on Nick’s neck. Nick shuddered under the touch.

“But it felt like it was. I don’t want that to happen again. I just want to hide with you,” Nick said, and Cory nodded.

“You stay for as long as you want. Being around Shelby full time seems like... I mean, I don’t mean to bash your sister, but—” Cory clicked his tongue and kissed Nick again in the same spot. Nick sighed.

“She means the best, I just, I don’t know,” he mumbled, moving his head as Cory kissed him again. “I want to stay with you.”

“Mmh, stay.”

“I will. I want to.”

“You’re free,” Cory said, tightening his hold on Nick. “You’re free now.”

“Mhm.” Nick shut his eyes and sniffled and reminded himself that this was what he wanted.

——

“No, yeah, um, tell Jordan I said hi!” Nick spoke into the phone as Cory shifted in bed and blinked awake. Nick watched him. “Yeah, I’m doing better. Come back? Uh, I don’t know, I feel like I still need some time. Yeah, Cory’s doing fine too, he’s sweet.” Nick patted Cory’s head, smiling at him. Cory smiled back and wrapped an arm around Nick. Nick’s smile faded. “Yeah, I heard she was still mad. I know it’s been two days, I, it goes fast, okay? I’ll come say hi, I swear. Soon. Okay, uh, well, I gotta go, Cory’s awake. Have a good day Ghetto! Bye.” Nick hung up, and set his phone down. “Good morning.”

“Hey baby,” Cory said, and Nick crossed his arms over his chest before Cory’s hand could wander there. His hand went to Nick’s face instead, and Cory kissed him. “Why’d you answer?”

Nick frowned. “I didn’t want to ignore his call, that seems rude.”

“They’re just trying to bring you back to try to convince you to use your powers again. To keep you there, they want to keep you there. Shelby won’t let us see each other, come on,” Cory said, and Nick glanced away.

“Jordan misses me.”

“He’s just a tool to them, Nick. Don’t you like me?” Cory whined, and Nick nodded.

“Of course I do. You’re the first person I’ve really liked in a long time, and I’m just— glad you’re better than the last guy I hung around,” Nick said, messing with his hands.

“Oh?” Cory chuckled, sitting up and pulling Nick into his lap. Nick put his hand on his forehead.

“It’s nothing, nothing at all. All in the past, I’m out of it. You wouldn’t let anything like that happen to me again, Cory,” he said, trying to take a deep breath. Cory’s smirk faded.

“Nick?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it, I don’t know why I brought it up, I don’t know why I’ve been thinking about it recently. It’s really nothing,” Nick stuttered, and Cory hugged him.

“Alright. You can tell me anything, you know,” Cory said. Nick kissed Cory on the cheek and got up, going to the bathroom. He splashed his face with some water and shook his head, looking at himself in the mirror. He put his hand over a hickey and breathed a little quicker, trying to cover it with the hood of Cory’s jacket.

“I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay,” he whispered to himself. He lightly patted himself on the cheeks and took a few deep breaths. “I am okay. I’m safe. Cory’s got me, I’m safe.” He tried to smile.

“Nick, you talking to yourself in there?” Cory called, and Nick flinched.

“Morning pep talk, I’m okay,” he said back, and Cory hummed.

——

“Hey Jordan!” Nick smiled. “I’m doing okay, thank you! I miss you too. Yeah, I know, it’s pretty close to Christmas now, isn’t it! It’s been a week right? Yeah, no snow yet, it’s kind of unlikely here. How are you?”

Cory watched Nick from the bed as he cleaned up his room, putting their dirty clothes in a basket and preparing a load of laundry with his phone tucked between his ear and his shoulder. “Nick, they’re gonna get into your head,” he said, and Nick glanced at him.

“I should go, Jordan. No, nothing’s wrong, nothing at all. I’ll be okay. Goodbye,” Nick stammered, hanging up. “Cory, I, I really miss them, I miss my sister, maybe I can just go down there.”

“Your sister is mad at you, Nick,” Cory sighed, “but look. If you really wanna go down there and deal with that by all means go ahead. Risk getting caught by Red again too, by the way. It’s been a week and he hasn’t showed up, there’s a reason for that.” He pointed to himself and raised his eyebrows. Nick glanced away.

“Sorry.”

“I forgive you.”

——

Ghetto called. Nick silenced his phone.

——

It was late, and it was dark. Nick was shaky, and Cory assumed he was cold and held him tight. But that wasn’t why.

He didn’t want to sleep, his nightmares were too much. But when he didn’t sleep, Cory would kiss him on the neck and hold him and move his hands near certain places and Nick had an odd feeling, like he knew what Cory wanted. It couldn’t have been right, but it made him nervous.

“Nick, I can warm you up, gimme a kiss,” Cory said, and Nick did. Cory held Nick’s head and gripped his hair and kissed back, one hand roaming around Nick’s side. Nick could tell Cory had been drinking. “Nick,” he said, breaking the kiss. “You’re so hot, I wish you’d never go. I love you Nick, I can’t believe it, I love you, I actually love you.” He bit Nick’s lip and moved over him. Nick’s eyes were wide. “Nick, say you love me. Say it.”

Nick opened his mouth, shaking bad. Then, he felt something.

“Nick—” Nick covered Cory’s mouth with his hand, eyes wide. He held up one finger and put it to his lips.

He felt something, he knew it. It was like Red, but not. It had more of a range of emotion, but it was still wrong, twisted.

“Someone’s here,” Nick whispered. Cory looked towards the door, confused. “Wait. Let me...”

It was subtle, like at first glance, they were normal, maybe a little introverted, maybe a little obsessed. But look closer and it would be clear. Look closer and anyone could see that they were off. That they lacked a few important aspects of a functioning human being.

“Anything and everything is his variable to manipulate,” Nick whispered aloud, unsure why. He was starting to feel sick again, but in a different way. A headache began to form, pounding worse and worse as...

“He’s getting closer,” Nick said, and Cory scrambled out of bed and grabbed a baseball bat. He stood close to the door and held it up. Nick got up and clung to Cory’s arm as they both stepped into the hall. Nick put a hand on his head and winced.

It was like death, calm, quiet. He’d always loved his job, but not enough. He was above them, he was better, smarter, braver. He knew what they didn’t.

Nick stumbled, and Cory held him up. His head was killing him, but for some reason he was engulfed in an eerie calm. He looked up at Cory, green eyes confused and scared, but calm.

“A doctor shouldn’t be that way,” he said, and Cory tilted his head.

“What are you—”

“Look how you’ve grown, Santiago.” Cory dropped the bat when the lamp turned on. Nick gripped his hair and fell to his knees, still shaking.

The man sitting in the chair ahead of them was in his 40s. His eyes were gray, and when Nick looked into him the emptiness was, ironically, overwhelming. His hair was neat, slicked back, and he was dressed as if he was about to go to some function. A black feather was tied on a string, hanging around his neck.

“It’s been a while, Sergeant. Didn’t take you as the one who would go for...” he glanced at Nick, “a younger, crowd. Isn’t he 20, and aren’t you 28? Ah, anyway.”

“What— what the fuck are you doing here, Ross,” Cory stuttered, his hands trembling. Nick looked at them and wondered if they were shaking like that whenever Red showed up. “I-I thought you got your— your hush money and— fucked off somewhere.”

“You know me better than that, Cory, come on,” the man, Ross, said, standing up. “When I get an opportunity like this, I take it. I was rather curious about how Red worked. It’s rather entertaining, and I just figured it would be a little fun, admittedly, to join in on the shenanigans. Maybe we can get the whole gang back together.” Ross grinned. “Does that sound fun, Cory?”

“Shut the fuck up!” Cory spat, gritting his teeth.

“You’re— with Red?” Nick asked, and Ross looked down at him. “What are you?”

“Oh, silly boy. I’m human, though some people like to call me a monster. But don’t let looks deceive you.” Ross looked back at Cory, then to Nick again. “I happen to be in the possession of something rather powerful. And I’m afraid I’m not quite through with my experiments yet. You’re Nick, the empath that Red is oh so obsessed with, right?”

Nick gulped, and Cory moved in front of him. Ross scoffed.

“Cory, I just wanted to introduce myself to your little boyfriend here, since clearly you don’t think I am worth mentioning. Don’t want your pet to know about me?” he said, and Cory was seething. “I’m sure the events of the past scarred you too, didn’t they? You were just all worked up about it, weren’t you?”

“Cory, what’s he talking about?” Nick asked, and Cory’s hands balled into fists.

“Nick, shut up.”

“Rude,” Ross said. “But, it’s none of my business. If you don’t mind, I’ll be going now.”

“That’s right, get the fuck out,” Cory hissed, and Ross let out a laugh.

“Like I couldn’t come back at any moment! Oh Cory, you crack me up. Ever the control freak. Red and I will see you very soon,” Ross said, and he walked over to the door. “Goodbye, for now.”

Cory’s mouth hung open as Ross left, closing the door quietly behind him. He looked dumbfounded. Nick rubbed his temples, the headache receding. He stood up. “Cory, what’s going on?” he asked, and Cory turned to him.

“Don’t.”

“But— Cory if something’s going on here, if he’s working with Red, we should call—”

“I SAID DON’T!” Cory grabbed Nick and slammed him against the wall. “Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t do anything. This night didn’t happen. AM I CLEAR?”

Nick nodded, trembling. “Yes, Cory.”

“Fucking hell.” Cory let Nick go. “I’ll be back.”

“You’re leaving?” Nick asked, and he covered his mouth right after. Cory looked back at him, glaring. Then, he grabbed a coat and left the apartment, slamming the door hard.

Nick slid to the ground and started to sob.

——

“_Hey, um, it’s Ghetto. I’ve been, uh, a little worried. Very worried. I mean, maybe your phone’s dead, or you lost it, or something, but um, if not, I’d just like to know you’re okay. You mean a lot to me, and to Jordan, and, and Shelby and Yoti, even though I can’t understand him. He keeps whining, sleeping on your bed, and shit. Jordan hangs out in there too sometimes. I’m— getting off track. I just want to know if you’re alright. I ran into Cory, once, he said you were okay, but uh, I just would like to like, hear it from you? I dunno. It would put us all at ease here. So uh, hope to hear from you soon, Nick. We miss you._”

Nick opened his eyes when the voicemail ended, choking out a few more sobs. His phone shook in his hands, his thumb hovering over the call button.

He turned his phone off when the door opened, and Cory appeared, a cigarette between his lips. Nick stood up slowly, afraid. Cory looked at him.

“Go on to bed, I’m gonna stay up a bit,” he said, blowing smoke out. Nick covered his nose.

“Please don’t drink too much,” he said, and Cory waved him off. Nick backed away and walked stiffly to Cory’s room, laying down and hiding his face in his pillow. Cory came in an hour later, wrapped a tight arm around Nick, and whispered in his ear.

“I’m sorry you made me act that way. Can we just be happy like before?” The smell of alcohol was strong on his breath.

Nick nodded. “Of course. This night never happened, right?”

“Good boy.” Cory fell asleep. Nick couldn’t.

——

“What’s wrong?” Cory asked. It was the next night, and Nick was sitting up in bed, deep in thought.

“I think I figured out why I keep thinking about— about that guy I mentioned a couple days ago,” Nick said, and Cory scooted closer. “I think... maybe it’ll help us. To tell you about all that.”

“Oh really?” Cory sat up too and put a hand on Nick’s thigh. “Tell me, baby.”

Nick took a deep breath. “Promise you’ll listen? All the way through? And not say a thing ‘till I’m done?” he asked, his eyes pleading.

“Scout’s honor,” Cory said, and Nick nodded.

“His name was Rich. I was, I was sixteen. He was an adult, he was a TA at my school. Uh, I guess it’s not really that long of a story, but um, he got me... to...” Nick looked down, tearing up. “You’re gonna think bad of me, Cory.”

“No, Nick no,” Cory said, squeezing Nick’s thigh. “Just keep going.”

Nick let it spill out, his voice shaky and uncertain. Cory watched, face blank, as Nick cried over it.

Cory shook his head. “Nick, I had no idea,” he said, wiping Nick’s tears away. “You mean he— oh god, I’m sorry.”

Nick nodded and hid his head in his arms. “I’m just always worried that that’s gonna happen again, but I know I shouldn’t be, I know you’re nice and all, and you wouldn’t do that.”

“I wouldn’t,” Cory said, “I would never. But, I want to prove it to you.”

“What?” Nick whispered, raising his head. Cory took Nick’s head in his hands.

“I want to prove that I am better than him. That I can treat you good,” he declared. “Let me do that.”

“What do you— Cory,” Nick breathed as Cory laid him down. “Cory what do you mean Cory.”

Cory climbed over Nick, holding his wrists and pinning them by Nick’s head. “Let me prove it to you. Let’s both prove it to him. Reclaim this shit, right?” he said, his eyes oddly excited. “Come on, Nick! You have to let me prove it.”

Nick felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“Let me prove it. Nick, I love you. Let me prove it.”

He opened his mouth.

“I love you too, Cory.”

——

When Nick opened his eyes, the clock read four in the morning. He felt groggy, and his hand was sluggish when he went to rub his eyes.

The zipper of Cory’s hoodie was cold against bare skin. Nick shut his eyes again and covered his face when he remembered what had happened. 

It was a good thing? Right? It had to have been. Cory loved him, that’s what he said and that’s what he meant. Cory would never hurt him. It must have been a good thing, then.

But then, why did he feel so sick?

Nick had lied awake for most of the night, while Cory slept next to him, smiling. He just couldn’t make himself stop feeling sick about it, and he could only make himself sleep by three in the morning.

He felt like an asshole. He had to like it, Cory made such a point of it. It had to be a good thing. Cory was better than Rich. Cory really loved him. He proved it.

“Cory,” Nick whimpered. “I love you.”

Nick didn’t expect a response, but for some reason the silence made him want to cry. “I do love you, I do,” he said again, but who was he trying to convince?

He paused, and sniffled, and listened. “Cory?” he said to the silence. Too silent; there was no breathing. “Wait, Cory.” Nick turned around, and froze.

He was alone in bed. “Cory?” he called, louder. His breath began to quicken. He got out of bed and ran to the bathroom, Cory’s hoodie just barely covering him up. He pulled it down further and scanned the empty bathroom before making his way to the closet, then the living room, both of which were empty.

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god CORY?” He looked behind the kitchen island and under the bed and in the damn cupboard. Nick spun on his heel, hyperventilating. Cory wasn’t there.

But a note was, taped to the front door. Nick ran over and ripped it off. “Oh god.” His eyes widened in horror, and he dropped the note, sprinting back to the bedroom to get his phone. “Oh god oh FUCK!”

The note fluttered to the floor.

‘_Come and get him! -R&R’_

—TO BE CONTINUED—

On a desk in Greenfield, a phone with an alien themed case began to vibrate.

“Can you get that?”

“Sure thing babe.”

Shark picked up the phone, and squinted.

“Annie, why the hell is Ghetto calling you?”


End file.
